tornado681 Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I have argued with a few of my buddies the past few years about NFL teams and their respective "hardcoreness". Being a huge Bills fan, I would argue that Bills fans are the best etc. The fact that we arent even close to selling this game out says a lot about our fan base. If the packers were 7-7 and had a chance to make the playoffs, I gaurantee there wouldnt be 15K seats available a few days before kickoff. Im a grad student down in State College and get to experience both Steelers fans and Eagles fans. It pains me to say this, but the Steelers probably have the best fans in the NFL. This latest attendance fiasco further validates the opinion that Bills fan are NOT top tier fans. This is reserved for the likes of the steelers, packers and KC. It will be my first game this year and I am so excited at the prospects of BUF being in the playoff race. I just wish I had 78,000 other people who felt the same way instead of 64,000. Flame away if you want to, but this is a valid point in my opinion. Im not bashing BUF at all. I love the Bills. Its just proof that we are not the elite fans
Shamrock Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I think i've done my bit coming from Australia to see a Bills game this year. Is that not "fan" enough?
tornado681 Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I think i've done my bit coming from Australia to see a Bills game this year. Is that not "fan" enough? 873808[/snapback] Ha, I'll let you slide...
Whitner20 Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I strongly disagree. It's Christmas eve for gods sake. The last time Buffalo hosted a Sunday Christmas Eve game was in 1995. Looking at my Bills media book, going into that last game on xmas eve vs. Houston, our record was 10-5. Sure, we were looking decent for the playoffs, but if i remember correctly, nothing was a lock, esspicially to host the home wildcard game. Our average attendence that season was 72,000. The attendence vs. Houston was 45,253. And that was with an awesome team, thinking they need a win to make it to host the wildcard game. Many teams stuggled at the game that day around the league. And despite many large attendences around the league this sunday, many stadiums will be half-empty. Some teams have very high season ticket sales so "paid attendence" will be marked as high. But look around the league and you'll see many empty seats. Buffalo isn't the only city.
jarthur31 Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I have argued with a few of my buddies the past few years about NFL teams and their respective "hardcoreness". Being a huge Bills fan, I would argue that Bills fans are the best etc. The fact that we arent even close to selling this game out says a lot about our fan base. If the packers were 7-7 and had a chance to make the playoffs, I gaurantee there wouldnt be 15K seats available a few days before kickoff. Im a grad student down in State College and get to experience both Steelers fans and Eagles fans. It pains me to say this, but the Steelers probably have the best fans in the NFL. This latest attendance fiasco further validates the opinion that Bills fan are NOT top tier fans. This is reserved for the likes of the steelers, packers and KC. It will be my first game this year and I am so excited at the prospects of BUF being in the playoff race. I just wish I had 78,000 other people who felt the same way instead of 64,000. Flame away if you want to, but this is a valid point in my opinion. Im not bashing BUF at all. I love the Bills. Its just proof that we are not the elite fans 873807[/snapback] You have an argument for this year only. The past 5 years we didn't get to sniff the playoff (except 2004) and we didn't have blackouts then. Why don't you go back and ask them if their teams have blackouts in losing seasons. I can guarantee you they did. ALOT!
stuckincincy Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 You have an argument for this year only. The past 5 years we didn't get to sniff the playoff (except 2004) and we didn't have blackouts then. Why don't you go back and ask them if their teams have blackouts in losing seasons. I can guarantee you they did. ALOT! 873818[/snapback] Yep. After years of zero sellouts, the B'gals finally got one on Sept. 10, 2000, the very first game at the new Paul Brown Stadium. People were curious, or just wanted to be able to say they were there for the first game... It began emptying out in the 3rd quarter as the team was getting slapped around by the 2nd year "new" Browns. They might have sold out one more game that year - not sure. Pitiful...the team, not the fans.
cåblelady Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Its just proof that we are not the elite fans 873807[/snapback] Yes we are.
Dr. Fong Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 but the Steelers probably have the best fans in the NFL. 873807[/snapback] No they don't. They're all a bunch of bandwagoners. Packers fans are truly the best fans in the NFL.
boltuprite Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I blame the stupidity of the NFL. it's Xmas eve on Sunday. There are no college games on Saturday. why didn't they schedule ganes for Staurday this week instead of Sunday?
Ned Flanders Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 if i remember correctly, nothing was a lock, esspicially to host the home wildcard game. 873815[/snapback] It was a lock. The division and the home playoff game were clinched the week before vs. Miami.
smokinandjokin Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I have argued with a few of my buddies the past few years about NFL teams and their respective "hardcoreness". 873807[/snapback] Why? I just wish I had 78,000 other people who felt the same way instead of 64,000. 873807[/snapback] I think 64K is nuts. There's 18K left, which brings us immediately to 54K. Add to that, a bunch of season ticket holders who probably will not attend due to family obligations over the holiday, and we could be looking at somewhere in the high 40K to low 50K. The only hope is that a lot of people back in town for the Christmas weekend spur some walkup sales, but I'd have to assume it will look like a preseason game with less than 60K in attendance.
marauderswr80 Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I understand its Christmas Eve and all.....but the game is at 1pm. It will be over by 4:15 unless they go to OT. I think using Christmas Eve is an excuse for some. I know people going to the game this weekend that are about 4 hours from the stadium. I thought football was the way of life in Buffalo? You honestly cant tell me that worthless sport called hockey is the way of life now in Buffalo! So yes I agree its shame on our fan base to have that many tickets unsold thus far. Christmas Eve! Give me a break! If it was a night game id understand but its a 1pm game!
zow2 Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 The Bills get killed because of season ticket sales (or lack thereof). It's as simple as that. Pittsburgh can have 25,000 no shows for a cold Thurs night game but it doesn't matter. It's still a sellout. They probably have a waiting list for season tix and only sell a handful of individual game tickets. KC, Denver, Green Bay, etc... are in the same boat. Buffalo has to sell around 30,000 individual game tickets for all 8 games in order to sell out. That is brutal. It's very difficult.
RuntheDamnBall Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 1) this has been over-discussed, to put it mildly. 2) the more sage reporters on this board can and have told you that some of the most exciting Bills games (yes, even in the Super Bowl era) did not sell out. Christmas eve is asking a lot of people, especially in the cold. Nonetheless, I've got four tickets. We may or may not go. I get to see my family all of four times a year so spending a whole day on football is a bit of a luxury. I wonder how many games are selling out. Even more, I wonder how many games will have full attendance given that many franchises sell out with season tickets. Furthermore, Buffalo is a struggling city of 300,000 with a hotter hockey team. Yes, the metro-area is considerably larger, but it's Christmas eve. Relax. If you feel that strongly about it, go and support them. Don't chastise everyone else who might have other obligations.
pBills Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 Same goes for the Skins. No shows are huge. My in-laws have a hard time finding people who actually want their tickets... for free!! Blackout rule, I think should be taken away... or changed so that if the larger stadiums (like the Ralph) have 65,000+ people it's considered a sell out.
Lori Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 It was a lock. The division and the home playoff game were clinched the week before vs. Miami. 873886[/snapback] Yup. Todd Collins started at QB (and played horribly), Thurman played just long enough to get his 1000-yard season before sitting down, and Yonel Jourdain led the team in rushing that day. To the original point: the teams listed sell out the vast majority of their stadium with season-ticket sales, leaving maybe a couple thousand seats available on a game-by-game basis. Bills sold 43,000 season tickets this year in a 73,000-seat stadium, leaving 30K single-game seats available for a game on Christmas Eve between two teams that combined for a 9-23 record last season. Do the math.
Gordio Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I blame the stupidity of the NFL. it's Xmas eve on Sunday. There are no college games on Saturday. why didn't they schedule ganes for Staurday this week instead of Sunday? 873876[/snapback] I do agree with this. The nfl did not use their heads on this. It would of been no problem putting the majority of the games on saturday & playing 3 games on sunday with one or two on monday. They did it last year when christmas fell on sunday. They put all the games on saturday. I guaranty if this game was on saturday, it would be sold out. With that being said, this best fans in the league crap has got to stop. Where not the best fans in the league, were just not. Pitt, tenn, green bay, kc, cleve, denver all have waiting lists for season tickets. Most of them are small markets too. So spare me that bills fans are the best. We are middle of the pack.
rockpile Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I hope you have a really good time at the game.
pBills Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I believe that Bills fans are outstanding... unfortunately we haven't had a great product to watch until this season. I think that has scarred a lot of people. People are just waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under them again. Sad thing is that home field advantage is a powerful thing, it would truly show the NFL something if the game was sold out and the Titans Offense is messed up by all of the noise.
Lori Posted December 21, 2006 Posted December 21, 2006 I do agree with this. The nfl did not use their heads on this. It would of been no problem putting the majority of the games on saturday & playing 3 games on sunday with one or two on monday. They did it last year when christmas fell on sunday. They put all the games on saturday. I guaranty if this game was on saturday, it would be sold out. With that being said, this best fans in the league crap has got to stop. Where not the best fans in the league, were just not. Pitt, tenn, green bay, kc, cleve, denver all have waiting lists for season tickets. Most of them are small markets too. So spare me that bills fans are the best. We are middle of the pack. 873903[/snapback] Cleveland? Pittsburgh? Denver? Small markets? Yeah, right. The only metropolitan areas smaller than Buffalo with NFL teams are Green Bay and Jacksonville. Green Bay is special; we all know that. (Of course, having Milwaukee, the 26th-largest MSA in the country, 100 miles down I-43 doesn't hurt.) And Jacksonville covered 9700 seats before the 2005 season, after having 12 of their previous 16 home games blacked out.
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